


Being Father Mulcahy

by tablelamp



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 14:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20762012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tablelamp/pseuds/tablelamp
Summary: When Father Mulcahy had first arrived in Korea, the apparent high-spiritedness of some of the camp residents had confused him.  Now he knows how dreary a place the 4077th would be without occasional bouts of high spirits.





	Being Father Mulcahy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Saintbunbun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saintbunbun/gifts).

When Father Mulcahy had first arrived in Korea, the apparent high-spiritedness of some of the MASH unit's residents had confused him. Now he knows how dreary a place the 4077th would be without occasional bouts of high spirits. 

He's in a good position to observe the constant resilience of the soul. Many of the people he works with have seen unspeakable horrors, and he's seen a few himself, but most of them find ways to come through it all. (He devotes extra prayers to the ones who don't.) They do ask for help, from others and from him, and Father Mulcahy does his best to provide the help they need. Sometimes he isn't the right person for the task, and in that case, he reaches out for help from someone who is. Once, and it seems very long ago now, he would've considered it unacceptable weakness to admit that he couldn't assist in all situations. Now it seems to be simple common sense. After all, he couldn't very well spend time as a non-surgeon among surgeons and assume that he could handle every problem as well as everyone around him.

And there are moments of such grace sometimes, such kindness. For instance, after a difficult day in surgery, he'd happened upon Kellye reassuring a distraught new nurse. Kellye was good with new nurses; she remembered what it was to be one, but could provide guidance too, based on her own experience. Father Mulcahy would've loved to join the conversation or listen to what was being said, but since he had been intruding upon the situation, he had meekly excused himself so that the two women could have their moment alone.

There had been the time when a child's presence in the camp had made B.J. feel homesick for his own family and children, and Charles had fished out one of his fancy leather volumes, dropping it in B.J.'s lap and informing him brusquely, "That's a book. Read it." Charles didn't choose to engage in conversation in particularly subtle or diplomatic ways, but he had provided B.J. with the chance to think about something else, and the next time Father Mulcahy had seen B.J., he'd been reading the book Charles had given him.

And there had been the time Hawkeye had insisted on playing an entire football game by himself, ludicrously playing all the positions on both teams and narrating the imaginary plays he was involved in. By the time the 'game' was over, half the camp was watching and laughing, previous tensions of the day or week utterly forgotten. Hawkeye and his gift for mirth were just where they were most needed on that day.

Father Mulcahy feels privileged and honored to witness such occasions. He keeps his memories of them safe, ready for retrieval should he or someone else need to be reminded of them, and he cherishes them as moments where he has most strongly felt the presence of God even in the midst of war.


End file.
